Western Michigan University

future pilot

future pilot

Well-Known Member
I am just wondering if anyone has any input on their program. I am thinking about going there. Pros? cons? any input is fine Thanks!
 
True on both accounts. However their enrollment was down 40% in the college of aviation this year. With new cirrus to train in means the cost is going to go up for future students. Excellent program though, don't let them BS you with that waiting list for the multi. Plus they got rid of the Extra's :( I was lucky enough to catch a couple flights in them before they left.
alum 03-07
 
screennamie said:
True on both accounts. However their enrollment was down 40% in the college of aviation this year. With new cirrus to train in means the cost is going to go up for future students. Excellent program though, don't let them BS you with that waiting list for the multi. Plus they got rid of the Extra's :( I was lucky enough to catch a couple flights in them before they left.
alum 03-07
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Sweet for the most part i have my mind made up. I think that i will go there. Do you know what there acceptance rate is?
 
future pilot said:
Sweet for the most part i have my mind made up. I think that i will go there. Do you know what there acceptance rate is?
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I went to WMU from 2005-2009 (wow, it feels weird to say I "went" there), so I can give you some insights on the school.

The acceptance rate is very high. You almost have to flunk high school to not get accepted into Western. The university's not exactly known for it's high academic standards, even though it has some great programs.

Make sure you have financing for your flight training in place BEFORE you start. Also, since you're coming from out of state, stay for your first summer and get Michigan residency. It's really easy and it will save thousands of dollars.

Check out some of the aviation clubs, especially the WMU Precision Flight Team - you'll get free flight time and have lots of fun.

WMU's a great school, and Kalamazoo's a great town. You'll have a lot of fun there. PM me if you have any questions.
 
I graduated from their in 99. Below I have listed some pro's and con's off the top of my head.

If you are a Michigan resident the costs are a lot cheaper outside of the flying classes. I would caution you about getting an Aviation Flight Science degree. It isn't good for much outside of flying IMHO...I would major management or something outside of aviation field and do their program under part 61 instead of 141. It will give you something to fall back on.

DON'T TAKE THE JET TRANSITION CLASS...It is a waste of 7k.

FYI watch how you pick your classes and where to live or you could be constantly drive between the Kalmazoo and Battle Creek campus. I would try and get all your general stuff done in your first year or two then start working on the flying and move out to Battle Creek.

Pro's:
4 Year Degree
Cheaper than ERAU
Battle Creek and K'zoo are fun towns
Excellent Classroom instruction
Generally good instruction

Cons:
Costs are going up due to the cirrus fleet and fuel
Majority of the fleet is now glass
No preferential hiring with majors (not that it matters right now in this market)
Lack of six pack time (I'm not talking beer here)
Traditional student loans will not cover all your flying fees... you will need outside loans or grants.

PM me with any questions....

if you see Diesel9Driver on, he went there too...
 
Bandit_Driver said:
I graduated from their in 99. Below I have listed some pro's and con's off the top of my head.

If you are a Michigan resident the costs are a lot cheaper outside of the flying classes. I would caution you about getting an Aviation Flight Science degree. It isn't good for much outside of flying IMHO...I would major management or something outside of aviation field and do their program under part 61 instead of 141. It will give you something to fall back on.
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You can't do Western's program Part 61 anymore. They got rid of that a few years ago.

DON'T TAKE THE JET TRANSITION CLASS...It is a waste of 7k.
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Agreed.

FYI watch how you pick your classes and where to live or you could be constantly drive between the Kalmazoo and Battle Creek campus. I would try and get all your general stuff done in your first year or two then start working on the flying and move out to Battle Creek.
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I would agree with this, take gen eds your first two years, and get your flying done later. Also, Kzoo to BC isn't that long of a drive. As long as gas stays cheap, it shouldn't be a big issue. I drove from Three Rivers to both Kzoo and Battle Creek - now that's a bad drive.

Pro's:
4 Year Degree
Cheaper than ERAU
Battle Creek and K'zoo are fun towns
Excellent Classroom instruction
Generally good instruction
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Agreed.

Cons:
Costs are going up due to the cirrus fleet and fuel
Majority of the fleet is now glass
No preferential hiring with majors (not that it matters right now in this market)
Lack of six pack time (I'm not talking beer here)
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I totally agree, I hate the Cirrus. It's ridiculously expensive, and it doesn't allow you to get valuable time on a traditional (six-pack) panel. Western's training button-pushers now.
 
Didn't know they killed the 61 program. That stinks...They definately need to bring it back in this market.

How was Grossman to deal with when you were there?
 
Bandit_Driver said:
Didn't know they killed the 61 program. That stinks...They definately need to bring it back in this market.

How was Grossman to deal with when you were there?
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I always got along with Grossman. He never gave me any issues, and seemed like a nice, helpful instructor.

I agree, the 61 program needs to come back.
 
Ok so now a real response.

I got to Western Michigan in the fall of 2001 with sopdan and it seems ljg.

It took me a semester to drop the aviation flight science program, I thought it was a mess. Then it took me a semester to drop aviation management as I didn't dig that program either.

In the end I walked out with a degree in philosophy with a minor in political science. For the flight program, I can't speak. It's a completely different program than it was 8 years ago when I showed up. I can tell you about the school itself, though.

I miss Kalamazoo dearly. To me, it's a nearly perfect city. It's not too big, not too small (a little over 100,000). It's a few hours from Detroit, and a few hours from Chicago with a train line going between the two and making a stop in Kalamazoo. It's got the best beer in the world (Bells), and as somebody mentioned there are tons of hot women there.

Western as a school treated me well. I graduated from a top (un)ranked program (they don't rank undergraduate philosophy courses, so to judge the quality of a program, as far as I'm concerned, you need to look at graduate and post graduate programs. Western's has an 8th ranked masters program in philosophy), had TONS of fun in the marching band, had a decent job working at the computer labs at Western, and made lots of great friends.

If I could, I'd move back to Kalamazoo tomorrow. It's not just a decent college to plant yourself at for a few years, but it's also in a great town.

Oh and if you want to improve your beer pong or flip cup game, Western is THE PLACE to be. Nobody holds a candle!
 
jtrain609 said:
Ok so now a real response.

I got to Western Michigan in the fall of 2001 with sopdan and it seems ljg.

It took me a semester to drop the aviation flight science program, I thought it was a mess. Then it took me a semester to drop aviation management as I didn't dig that program either.

In the end I walked out with a degree in philosophy with a minor in political science. For the flight program, I can't speak. It's a completely different program than it was 8 years ago when I showed up. I can tell you about the school itself, though.

I miss Kalamazoo dearly. To me, it's a nearly perfect city. It's not too big, not too small (a little over 100,000). It's a few hours from Detroit, and a few hours from Chicago with a train line going between the two and making a stop in Kalamazoo. It's got the best beer in the world (Bells), and as somebody mentioned there are tons of hot women there.

Western as a school treated me well. I graduated from a top (un)ranked program (they don't rank undergraduate philosophy courses, so to judge the quality of a program, as far as I'm concerned, you need to look at graduate and post graduate programs. Western's has an 8th ranked masters program in philosophy), had TONS of fun in the marching band, had a decent job working at the computer labs at Western, and made lots of great friends.

If I could, I'd move back to Kalamazoo tomorrow. It's not just a decent college to plant yourself at for a few years, but it's also in a great town.

Oh and if you want to improve your beer pong or flip cup game, Western is THE PLACE to be. Nobody holds a candle!
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I agree K'zoo is a great place. I would love to move back to that area some day. I particularly like the Zoo in the Fall during Football season. The whole area has a certain ambiance about it. If that is the right word.

The flight program has changed a lot since I went through it. I was sad to see them get rid of the 172's, M20's and 300L. I bet next they will get rid of the PA34's and go for the Twin Stars with counter rotating props to get rid of the critical engine.

I wish they would teach flying first and button pushing second. It seems like they are moving towards glass just because it is cool and easy. There is a time and place to teach glass but it isn't in primary instruction. Especially when you are training airline pilots. I feel sorry for some the new graduates with mostly glass time. The Saabs and Beeches are going to eat them for lunch. God forbid they get a 135 job in a dogged out 310 or Bandit.
 
I was a flight instructor at Western from 2005 to 2006. I was there when they did the transition from Cessna to Cirrus. Personally I really liked the Cirrus, but I think that they do the students a bit of a disservice by not giving them some experience on steam gauges. They might have some trouble if they want to go to an FBO and get checked on an older C-172. They would probably ask "What do all of these round dials do?"

If felt that the quality of instruction at Western was outstanding. They tried to do more than just teach students how to pass a checkride, but give them a good solid base of knowledge.

As a flight instructor, I had a very good experience at Western. Battle Creek is a nice place. Kalamazoo is an awesome town, and I agree that there are a TON of hot women there! :nana2:
 
Eastern Student here --

I heard WMU had a 2 year wait on beginning to fly, I heard that may have been lifted, but I'm not entirely sure. The cost to fly over there is through the roof because of their great idea to train in Cirrus.

I wish you luck and if you have a chance, come check out our program.

RD
 
Kalamazoo is awesome! I miss it dearly. I am very pleased with the training that I received at the COA. I always had awesome instructors and received the best training I could have ever gotten. My training at Western really prepared me for my professional flying career.

My student loans payments aren't to bad, but I consolidated them. But, I knew that I would have a good amount of loan payments when I finished school and I was prepared for that.

I think you will be very pleased if you decide to go to the COA. AND you will fall in LOVE with the cirrus. Great airplane!
 
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